Friday, December 12, 2014

Entertaining at home can be a lot of fun. Offering your guests some good times with good friends and good food, is a satisfying endeavor for all. Still, it takes some time and effort to make it all happen.

That's where today's sweepstakes come in, offering you some of the tools that it might take to become the "hostess with the mostess!" Your guests will be chomping at the bit to come to your next party, with a win from one of these sweepstakes!

* Grand prize winner will receive a Samsung flat screen television, a mini beverage center, and an Omaha Steaks prize package. Winner will be given the option of cash or merchandise. Total ARV $3299.99.

One entry per person per day. Open to legal residents living in the 50 United States, D.C., and Canada (excluding Quebec), 18 or older. Ends January 31, 2015.

Thursday, December 11, 2014

Division spy Christy Hadden can't wait for her latest assignment posing as a student at a prestigious New York City academy and car thief extraordinaire.

The best part of the mission is her attractive handler, Jeremy, and her new team. The worst part? The sociopath masquerading as the academy's most popular guy.

But soon she realizes the car thieves are much more than they seem. Her simple spying mission becomes more dangerous than anyone imagined. If the organization discovers her true identity, they won't hesitate to kill her, and if she fails, others will suffer the same fate.

Young Adults, teens and adults will love this exciting suspenseful adventure with a dash of romance. You won't want to put it down

This book will take you on a crazy ride that you won't want to get off of to eat, sleep or anything else! ~Cathy Jeppson

Hogan cleverly created characters with detail, who are both relatable and grounded. ~ the bookstalker

It’s a thriller that reminded me of a mix between Gone in 60 Seconds and the Gallagher Girls books ~Canda Mortensen

My Review

Christy Hadden is a spy. Though she is only 19, earlier experiences motivated her on a fast track through training. Now, she is on an assignment with her team, in New York City.

This book starts out fast-paced, and continues on to be filled with edge-of-your-seat reading. The primary characters are quite "spy-like," giving you just enough information to like, or maybe to dislike some of them, and to get to know them just a bit, yet not enough to let you in on too much of their private lives. In other words, you won't find any "fluff" or "filler" in this book. It is concisely written.

Christy shows confidence and strength in doing her work, yet she is still just as vulnerable as any other teenage girl. Sometimes she is filled with self-doubt, yet, at other times, she can still come off as a bit over-confident in her own abilities. She needs her team, and they need her.

The lines between good and bad are sometimes blurred, throughout the story. This often keeps you wondering if certain characters are good people doing bad things, or if they are bad people doing good things. Though the book does contain some violence, it is less graphic than what you might regularly see on prime time TV, and it stays relevant to the story.

Yet, it isn't all about spy stuff. There are many intricacies. Human relationships, young people enjoying the fun things they do at that age, touching friendships and budding romance, all are lingering on the edge of a dark hole, and must be kept safe. The hardships and calamities of doing such a tough job give it still more added dimension. The heart and soul are still there.

This is not the first book in the series, yet, it still works well as a stand-alone read.

~~~

Author Cindy M. Hogan

Cindy M. Hogan graduated with a BA in education and is inspired by the unpredictable teenagers she teaches. More than anything she loves the time she has with her own teenage daughters and wishes she could freeze them at this fun age. If she's not reading or writing, you'll find her snuggled up with the love of her life watching a great movie or planning their next party. Most of all, she loves to laugh.

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you'd like to visit more blogs on this tour, click through on the pic below, then scroll to the bottom of the page for the list of blogs and dates...

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Toys can be a hard thing to buy. Finding just the right toy, for the right age, and suited for a particular child's personality, takes a lot of thought. It can also take a lot of time to investigate, to find just the right ones.

If you're like me, it may have been a while between the "kids'-toy-buying" phases of your life...

Luckily, there are a lot of good folks offering their time and experiences, to help guide the search for good toys. Just as luckily, you could win some new toys, with today's giveaways!

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Wow. Today's sweepstakes have some to-die-for prizes! Whether it be for him, or for her, or for both of you (well, maybe it's just for you, then), somebody's going to have a screaming fit when they win one of these!

The rules note that "all prizes are gently used (not new) and in very good condition."

One entry per person/email address. Open to legal residents of the U.S. (excluding Rhode Island), D.C., Canada (excluding Quebec), and the UK, who are at least the legal age of majority in their place of residence. Ends December 18, 2014.

Sunday, December 7, 2014

If you enjoy your holidays at the cabin, then Cabin Life Magazine would like to see some of your best holiday pics!

The theme for this contest is "Holidays at the Cabin." No technical specifications are posted in the rules (size, format, etc.), so basically, it appears that if you can upload it, you can enter it into the contest. Of course, it still must be relevant to the theme, and be tasteful.

Submissions will be judged based upon the following criteria: interpretation of theme, quality, composition, and relevancy to cabin living.

Once the submissions are closed, the magazine's editors will choose the top ten finalists, which the general public will then vote on to determine the winner (in conjunction with editorial review), beginning December 15. The last day to vote is December 28.

* The prize for this contest is a $100 Cabin Life prize package. ARV $100.

On Friday I was an instant winner in the "The XC90 Experience in Volvo Reality Promotion," featured in the November 21st post, It's an Instant Wins Weekend!

Though certain things may seem inexplicable (at least to my youngest son), I had really, really wanted to win one of these, so I was quite excited when I did!

Right away, I searched for apps, and found the one from Volvo (with very good reviews) along with two others I could use, so I downloaded all three. Of course, I won't open them until the cardboard arrives, and is assembled and ready to use... The suspense will just kill me till then.